From ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Tue Jun 24 11:01:36 1997 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 06:57:05 -0700 (PDT) To: bmwmcNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com From: Chuck DeSantis Subject: BMW: Minnesota 1000 (long) Cc: MMCornettNoSpam@NoSpamaol.com Reply-To: Chuck DeSantis Picture this: standing on a narrow strip of land stuck out in the middle of a wide spot in the Missouri River somewhere in South Dakota at 4:00 AM. The predawn sky is clear except for a patch of very heavy clouds throwing off lightning somewhere in the distance. The full moon lights the landscape as Mike Cornett and I search for two markers at the gravesite monument to Chief Sitting Bull. This is our last stop for bonus points in the MN 1K rally before we point our bikes back to Minneapolis and Bob's Java Hut for check-in at 10:00 AM. We had started at 10:00 AM the previous morning as had some 118 other riders. Mike had breakfast earlier in the week with Mike Kneebone and got some tips for handling this type of endurance run. Accordingly, Mike and I were among the very last to leave the Bob's since we had spent about 45 minutes planning our route and putting together a rudimentary strategy. Our route took us through Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota; 1261 miles in 24 hours. Along the way we saw the highest structure in North America; a huge concrete cow and the geographic center of the continent among others. Don't miss locations, all of them. We crossed paths with Sue Huff and Jon Diaz two or three times, since we had laid out a somewhat similar route. So back to Sitting Bull. Joan Oswald and her husband Rick were just leaving as we got there, and they gave us some tips about avoiding ditches and other assorted minor dangers as we searched for the mrkers. Ther roared off on their Harleys and we returned to our search. We found the markers, entered the required data and took off back to Bob's; it was gonna be close if we were to make it back in time. We had been rolling (REALLY rolling) for a couple of hours when we rounded a quick curve and saw some activity on the left shoulder of the road. From a distance, it appeared to be a motorcycle. In fact it was Joan's FSXR and Rick's dresser. Joan had just gone down minutes before we got there. She was scraped and some of her clothes were shredded, but not seriously injured. The crash bars on her Harley saved her. Unbelievably, Joan and bike slid for about 400 feet (according to Mike Cornett's pace-off) with Joan under the bike! The weight of the bike was triangulated on the right crash bar, windshield, and tour pack -- allowing joan enough room UNDER the bike to slid but not get crunched. Joan had obviously been very, very lucky. Rick and I bent her handlebars back into some semblance of being straight as Mike (former EMT) saw to Joan's condition. After about 45 minutes, everybody and all bikes were pronounced fit to ride, and we roared off again to Bob's. The bottom line is that we made it back to Bob's on time. We covered 1261 miles and accumulated 8785 points (I believe highest total in the competition -- any class). We took first and second in the Touring class (we were riding LTs and it was our first try at this rally). We were bushed but very satisfied. The LTs were great; the 200 watts of Penetrator driving lights really lit up the road on those lonely 2-laners through North and South Dakota. These roads were so deserted, we would ride for miles at a time side-by-side taking up both lanes. With four Penetrators and 2 highbeams throwing light down the road it was like midday! After about 3 hours of awards ceremony and conversations with new and old friends, we decided it was time to leave. Mike was headed to the Utah 1088 (a real Iron Butt guy) via a family visit in North Dakota. Sue, Jon and I headed back to Chicago. We didn't get very far before we realized just how much we needed to pull off the road and rest. So we got a bite to eat and sacked out in a Rest Area for a short time. Not much time off the bikes, but it did the trick. The rest of the ride back to Chicago was routine (even the 20 minutes we rode through a real toad-strangler in the Wisconsin Dells). All in all, it was a lot of fun, from the kick-off party Friday night to the last ceremnoies just before we left. I got to make some new friends, and put faces to names (Lee Freedman; Adam Wolkoff, Rick Foreman). The rally itself was very well done. Rallymaster Eddie James and his staff did a remarkable job of organizing the rally and executing the details. The really remarkable thing was that none of them ever lost their cool. Always a smile and a cheery word. Great experience! I don't think the Iron Butt Rally will never hold any attraction for me, but the MN1K -- I just might do it again. Maybe next time I'll nose out Mike Cornett :-) Chuck Chuck DeSantis Crystal Lake, IL From ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Wed Jun 25 15:54:15 1997 Date: 25 Jun 1997 12:13:49 -0500 From: "Diaz Jon" Subject: BMW: Minnesota 1000 (way long) To: "BMW Mailing List" , wetleatherNoSpam@NoSpammicapeak.com Cc: "Diaz Jon" Reply-To: "Diaz Jon" Well, I said I would write a little more detailed report when I got out of class this week, and here it is. For some reason, the detail was very vivid in my mind, and may have gotten out of hand in some cases. Consider yourselves warned. The military time is a BMW thing. :) ------------- Our Minnesota 1000 June 21-22, 1997 Sue and I arrived at the start around 0815, with a R100GS in tow that we picked up near Lakeville. We had to motel it about 40 miles south of town due to the lack of motel rooms in Mpls that weekend, and the hour- long ride was a good start to the day. Traffic was light, and we got to the start right when we had planned. We checked into rally central and got our packet of mandatory bonuses. There were a list of ten or so local mc shops that we could choose to hit, and there was one in particular that was right down the street that we were allowed to visit before the start, so we rode there, got our receipt, and returned to the start. The local shop bonuses were unique in that they cost each rider a few $$, all of which would be pooled into big gift certificates at the end to be given away as a door prizes. Cool! Back at rally central, things were hopping. I chatted with Adam Wolkoff, as people wandered by to stare at the GPS, radar detector, and PIAA 9162's adorning his bike. By comparison, my R1100RT was tricked out with a bag of David sunflower seeds, a can of lemon Pledge for our helmet visors, and a taped collection of all the Guns n' Roses I could find at home. Adam was clearly intimidated by my thoroughness and imagination. :) Mike and Chuck showed up next. I had made room reservations for all the Chicago folk, but Mike wanted to be closer to the rally start, so he cancelled his reservation with us. His ol' buddy Adam set them up at one of St. Paul's classier roach motels, and Chuck proceeded to tell a story of the night not unlike Joliet Jake's first night out of the slammer in the 'Blues Brothers.' Heh heh. He didn't say if they had any dry white toast or not. :) The riders meeting was at 1000. We got our packet of bonuses, and proceeded to draw up a route. A lot of bonuses were located in SW Minnesota and South Dakota, and since Sue and I hate riding there, we chose to go somewhere else. Fargo looked like a good start, so we took it. First stop out of town was a local bonus at Hopkins Hitching Post. Of course, we passed an mc accident scene on the way there which kind of punctuated the seriousness of what we were attempting to accomplish here. Our plan all along had been to run the rally and see what we got...nothing heroic, because we still had too many trips and places left to see this summer. As the rally organizer said at the riders meeting....."its only a trophy." Running into the Hitching Post for the bonus receipt immediately made my heart sink....the customers were stacked four deep at all the counters. Thank goodness the parts guys took pity on us by letting us cut in front and getting the hell out of there in a hurry. West out of Hitching Post to I-494 and we're rolling to Moon Motors, about 40 miles west on I-94. Moon was a two-point stop, because it was only open for a limited number of hours......we easily made it there, got the bonus, and at that point we stopped to check the maps to see where to go next. I was pumped. Adrenaline was energizing my whole body, and I talked excitedly of touching Saskatchewan during the trip. Sue was a great calming influence here, and convinced me that we needed to just pick things off one by one and see how the rally developed for us. She was right. :) We left Moon around noon, and at 1310 we stopped at Sauk Center for a bonus at Sinclair Lewis' boyhood home. We chatted with Mike and Chuck, and proceed across the street for gas and some fluids. We decide to get to Fargo for the mandatory receipt, and an extended stop for fluids, as the temps are around 94F and the sun is really pounding us. At 1530 we are rolling into the busiest Amoco on the planet for fuel, and we spend about 30 minutes rejuvenating. Mike and Chuck show up as we are leaving, having picked off a bonus south of Fargo that we were saving for the return trip, and we leave them without any detailed discussion. A well-worn Ducati E900 blasts past the Amoco heading north, going right toward the bonus we are planning on. Sue and I mount the bikes and take off to give chase. Three miles later, the E900 is coming back at us on I-29 at warp speed, the rider apparently having changed his mind about that bonus. The speed limit goes up to 70, and we pound up the concrete slab fighting a wicked crosswind. 75 miles and literally two turns later at 1700, we are at the site of the next bonus which wants to know who is responsible for maintaining this stretch of road (the Half and Half Homemakers). Looking over our shoulders, the tallest tv tower in North America is poised like a giant sewing needle over the flatland. We marvel at the engineering genius (well, I do anyway), and then exit stage left wfo. Sue takes over for the run into Rugby, nearly 150 miles distant. The back roads are bumpy, but the R1100's take it in stride. One joy about bringing these bikes instead of the K's was the significant range that each of them possess....Sue's RS will go about 250 miles on a tank, and my RT over 300. Since we aren't in 24hr mini-mart country, that is one less thing to worry about during the night. We pass thru Devils Lake continuing to fight the wind, and Sue passes all available gas stations. I am concerned because my mileage was clearly lower in the wind, but I tell myself she knows what she is doing. Ten miles later she pulls into a rough looking gas station 'for a splash.' Apparently, the low fuel light came on just as we left Devils Lake. So I guess she could have made it. We continue to Rugby. Its 1930. We take some pictures around the bonus, the Geographical Center of North America, and then backtrack a couple hundred yards to fill up and eat something. I'd been living on Gatorade, water, and raisins all day, and chose a larger bottle of Gatorade and a Rice Krispie treat to fill me up (my mother the ex-nutritionist would not approve). As we are sitting there chatting, Mike and Chuck roll up across the street to the bonus. Sue and I instantly groan. :) This time we spend a few moments chatting about our routes. We are headed to I-94 and the giant cow bonus, and Mike and Chuck are planning on skipping that in favor of Sitting Bull's gravesite at Mobridge. That's f*cking South Dakota. I do the math in my head for their route and figure balls-out running will be mandatory for them during the night, something we swore we would not do. We wanted to be on the interstate at night, dealing with normal speeds since we knew our energy levels were going to be low. So we encouraged one another to make it, and split from there before 2000. I still thought they were nuts. :) We head slightly west from Rugby into the sun, and then stairstep south and west for the next 140 miles. The roads are actually kind of interesting, although I will admit to having a fairly intense daydream about a burrito somewhere north of Washburn. Sue blows by me at 100+ to remind me what we are doing here, and I take the lead back to make it to the next bonus. As the sun goes down slowly, the headlights don't really help. Dusk seems to last forever, and my eyes are having a lot of difficulty focusing on the edges of the road. Finally the sun goes down completely at 2230, and we pass by a huge biker hog roast/party OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Quite surreal. Sue said she was actually a little frightened by it, maybe not from the people themselves, but from actually seeing people after going so long with only seeing one another. We get to the New Salem bonus at 2300. It is a 38-foot tall holstein that has been erected on the side of a hill. It is visible for at least 10 miles to the west on I-94. Our energy levels are actually quite good, but we decide to head east to Bismarck for gas and food to figure out our plan. The monotony of singing along with ''80's weekend' on the local radio station is broken by the sight of Mike and Chuck screaming west to get the bonus we just picked off. Maybe they decided they couldn't make Mobridge after all? I wonder..... Its midnight, and we are sitting in the busiest Perkins on the planet. Attempts at eating light are thrown out the window, and we both enjoy a hearty breakfast with all the goodies. One of the IBA's primary recommendations is to minimize huge food intake during events like this, but unfortunately, they weren't there to see the beautiful pictures of food that Perkins has shown in their menus. :) Riding at night has always been my weak point, so Sue takes the lead for the interstate stretch east. I ask her to not overdrive her headlights, and she sets a good 70mph pace into the darkness. Well, it wasn't that dark....the moon lit things up pretty good for us. 120 miles later and we are stopping by the side of the interstate for another mileage marker bonus (Continental Divide) and instantly our energy is BACK, knowing that we've done all the bonuses we set out to do, with only the layover bonus left to achieve. The layover bonus was designed to force people to rest. Its a large bonus, worth up to what we got at the last roadside bonus, and we conclude that stopping and resting is a good thing. But a motel room is out, since I would _never_ wake back up for the run to the finish. So we stop at our preferred Petro truckstop around 0330, and upon stopping Sue races into their mini-mart to buy something (we have to show a three-hour gap in receipts to demonstrate the layover). She comes back with candy, and we park the bikes. We chose Petro because they have slick trucker accomodations, and this one was no different. But after hot showers and a fresh change of clothes, we are instantly exhausted. The layover is backfiring on us....it was supposed to perk us up, and now we are dead. Sue curls up in the tv lounge for some shut-eye, and I try to stay awake by jotting notes about our trip. My eyelids get heavy, but I fight sleep all the way by trying to pay close attention to what the evangelist on the big screen is saying. :) Sue manages an hour or so of that, and we decide to eat some food before the time comes for us to leave. Breakfast comes and I am instantly nauseated. My food is shit, but Sue's looks good, so I poke at the hash browns on her plate to try and get something down. Nope.....its isn't working, I have to walk around outside because I feel sick. This is my worst nightmare....not finishing the rally due to a health problem. Sue also feels bad after eating, and we buy Tums to try and ward off whatever it is that is causing the nausea. 0630 takes forever to arrive, but when it does we are gassed and pointed into the rising sun. Sue continues to lead past all the spots we'd hit twelve hours earlier. I'm tired, and my riding shows it....drifting too close to her on occasion, and then way back. Then I get the idea to switch bikes, thinking the unfamiliarity of a different bike will wake us up. It works, and the breeze I get from her RS fairing works wonders for my mood and energy. We're going to get there, and I'm convinced we're gonna win something. It doesn't go perfectly tho....Sue's bike needs a gas stop, so after a quick fill at St. Cloud, I take over for the pell-mell run into Mpls. Traffic is heavy, but we both love riding in that sort of thing, and turn it into a cat-and-mouse game. Once we hit I-94 I know we've got it, and after the exit at Lyndale, Sue leads us into the finish. Rally help is on top of us immediately, helping us park the bikes so that we can run inside to get our paperwork stamped by the timeclock. We arrive at 1011, making it with four minutes to spare before getting penalized. Relief sweeps over us, and a tv crew interviews us about the rally. I remember saying marvelously witty and wonderful things, things which I can't really remember right now. But they were witty and wonderful. :) Our next hour was spent chatting with other folks about their runs, and then waiting with baited breath for the results. I knew Sue had a shot at placing in the Sport class, although I felt my own finish might not have been good enough considering the level of competition from the other guys in the Expert division. As Eddie read the results, I couldn't believe my ears. Mike and Chuck kicked everyone's butt with their run to Mobridge, and Sue got a fifth place in the Sport class. She was (and still is) on cloud nine. Adam got third in the Expert class just ahead of me. I was a little disappointed....even tho it was my first rally, I thought I could have gotten a trophy. But still, kudos to the winners, because everyone deserved it. At least 45 people did over 1000 miles during the rally. To console not winning, I got a nice gift certificate from Trackstar. They are a Vanson dealer. Normally, this would be no contest, but since I had just gotten my new Vanson jacket not two days earlier, I felt that the money would be better spent for the rally volunteers. Eddie had listed at least fifteen people who helped him run the show, all on their own time for free. Hopefully, a bunch of gift certificates will let them know how much we appreciated their effort. :) I've been back now for a couple of days (Sue left for California on Tuesday am, for another 1000-in-one to Denver!), and had a nice bit of info waiting here today: ------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Diaz Jon I have been asked to pass along the following message: "We regret to inform you that there was a scoring error while tallying your ride sheet. It would appear that you should have tied with the Third Place Winner in your class. There will be a Third Place Winner plaque arriving at your house sometime in the near future." Congratulations! -- This has been an official communique from the Minnesota 1000 - Minnesota's Toughest Bike Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------- So right on! Now I'm happy again. Join us next year?? :) Jon Diaz